Launching its first motorcycle in 1904, the Feilbach enterprise would eventually knock heads, SOHC or otherwise, with another Milwaukee upstart company, Harley-Davidson, although it seemed Feilbach had the upper hand with a better motorcycle.
Arthur Otto Feilbach and his brother William tinkered together their first machine within their small home garage. This was coincidentally in the same vicinity and at the same time as Harley-Davidson was housed across town in a 10 x 15 foot shed. Apparently the wrenches were flying at both shops with H-D selling their first machine in 1903 although the bikes first appeared in the historical records in 1904. Then for the next five years the Feilbachs went at it and managed to build a limited number of motorcycles which quickly earned a reputation for being well-engineered and reliable mounts. Customers were also somewhat limited to the Milwaukee and Wisconsin state area because there was no advertising available. It was home grown and home sold.
Like the first Harleys, the Feilbach was a “thumper”, a single cylinder, in this case displacing 350cc (21 inches) and activated by pedals linked to a belt drive. Apparently the exact dimensions of the early motors were lost in the dustbin of time, but we do know that such was the demand for his motorcycles that Arthur Feilbach felt motivated and confident enough to seek a larger means of production. He came up with improvements on all levels, in the design as well as the marketing.
By 1907 he debuted a significant new model with a bore and stroke of 3.25 x 3.5 inches and with another stroke, of the pen, the company’s name was officially registered with the city of Milwaukee as the “Feilbach Motor Co., Ltd.” However, 1907 did not exactly open the floodgates of production as they only produced three machines. They were all sold before completion and people were standing in line to buy them. A short line, but a solid one.
The next year things heated up with five more Feilbachs rumbling off the work benches, again all snapped up by customers. In 1909 the herd of Feilbachs grew by another seven, also bought in a flash. While the design had remained the same for the preceding years, by 1910 Arthur had made several improvements that were added to the next nine bikes in production. Upgrades included a larger engine bore, now 35/16 as well as mechanically actuated inlet valves. A year later, he had his own spring fork front end that made for an increase in rider comfort, this was a proprietary design. More fuel could be carried in an expanded tank and instead of pedaling for power, spark was now supplied by an integrated magneto. In the following year of 1911, luck continued for Feilbach with thirteen motorcycles built and sold.
Recognizing the company’s potential it wasn’t difficult for Feilbach to attract investors and by late 1912 Arthur had secured the resources of several Milwaukee area businessmen. Things were ramping up and an astonishing 75 bikes were completed in that year in a building once occupied by a defunct motorcar manufacture company. Such was the level of success, that in March 1913 an even larger manufacturing site for the Feilbach was chosen, one that occupied more than five acres with a 7100 sq. ft. building situated on the northern edge of Milwaukee. With an infusion of considerable funding, from Arthur Feilbach’s vantage point as the superintendent of the new company, the horizons looked bright with promise.
In that same year, the new V-twin Feilbach as seen here was launched and received rave reviews and in fact made an appearance at the 5th Annual Milwaukee Motor Association event. It was larger in displacement than its Harley-Davidson rival, heavier and beautiful in fit and finish, black and shining nickel. By year’s end 158 were rumbling around the state. In general motorcycles were booming across the U.S., a fact demonstrated by a milestone in the history of the U.S. motorcycle industry when a separate national show was held under the auspices of the Motorcycle Manufacturers’ Association in Chicago. The event brought together 71 exhibitors who attended what is considered to be the first U.S. motorcycle show.
WWI erupted in 1914 although the U.S. didn’t join in until 1917 but for some reason the numbers of Feilbachs produced that year are somewhat unclear, estimated between 900-1000. At this point the single cylinder machines were discontinued, only the V-twins produced.
Another Feilbach evolutionary step occurred with the appearance of the 1,130cc V-twin now fitted with offset cylinders which resulted in a greater increase in power. In 1914, the additional name “Limited” was added to the Feilbach’s nomenclature and there also appeared further signs of success when advertisements were placed in several major motorcycle publications. While some say the “Limited” was traced to the country’s interest with the new fast trains in service, others ascribe it to the “limited” as in the especially high quality of the Feilbach machines.
Another “could have” motorcycle milestone almost took root in 1914 when Arthur came up with a stunning new machine, a V-twin featuring an innovative worm-gear shaft-drive plus a 2-speed transmission. Unfortunately there were teething problems, specifically with the worm-gear, so production faltered and faded.
A downward spiral of sorts gained momentum as funding dried up along with the new bike problems, so Arthur Feilbach was forced to end his great adventure, filing bankruptcy in 1916. Some say that the powers to be at Harley-Davidson, sensing a real threat, might have made things difficult for Feilbach’s funding efforts. In any case, Arthur was left with proof of his design’s success, his own personal bike, the first of its breed, still up and running without any problems at 63,000 miles. Such was their dependability, the Milwaukee Police circa 1914 were mounted on Feilbachs. However, soon they would all be riding Harley-Davidsons.
Some would point out that the nickel plated letters “FL” appearing on the Feilbach Ltd. now can be found in the model designations of Harley-Davidsons. Perhaps just a coincidence.
And what happened to Arthur Feilbach? He came up with a new valve lifter for garage repair shops in 1920 and sold quite a few. At age 72, he passed away in 1956.
Today, there is little to remind one of short-lived golden age of the Feilbach, the Feilbach manufacturing facility is now the site of new condominiums.
Word from the Owner – Don Whalen
“When I first saw one I was taken with it so whenever a Feilbach came up for sale I acquired it. There were only five known to exist. I’ve owned four of them, and I’ve bought this one twice and in this case gave it over to Steve Huntzinger to restore, a 10-month process. This time I’m keeping it.”
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